Monday, November 15, 2010

Know What Your Charity Does Before You Invest

There are more than a 1,000 breast cancer charities in America today. And, no, they do not all fund research or provide assistance to those afflicted with the disease. Some exist to promote awareness and some, as this story from MSNBC highlights, aren't yet sure what it is they want to accomplish. As Ken Berger points out in the story, it is O.K. and even appropriate, for new charities to take their time to develop their programs and services. But as a donor, you should take the time to check that out on the front end, before you make your donation. That way, if you really wanted to fund research and not a start up group, you would direct your money elsewhere.

2 comments:

That's why I really hate the "pink" movement. The Susan G. Komen organization is awesome, but it's so easy for retails to just slap a coat of pink on any old thing and women will snap it up because they don't even bother to read if it there are even any proceeds going to charity.

It also makes me feel dirty whenever I see something cute and pink and want to buy it, but know I'll just be funding the "Make them buy pink sh**" machine.

I agree with Yllsa. We are 'very aware' of breast cancer. Why isn't more of the money spent on research and solutions instead of the 'pink' marketing machine? A recent article in the LA Times stated that all the 'pink' awareness campaigns have pretty much no influence on reduction of breast cancer deaths (a fraction of 1% since campaign started).

That's a pretty bad return on all the money spent. Companies selling 'pink' items get away with donating as little as 1 cent per item sold and can also sell pink items after their pledge to donate runs out.

Bottom line: buying pink stuff does pretty much nothing to reduce breast cancer deaths. We're once again just suckers for the big corporations that make money on us dummies.

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On this blog, professionals from Charity Navigator, the nation's largest independent charity evaluator and leading donor advocate, share their thoughts on emerging issues relating to the nonprofit sector and offer tips to help you make the most of your charitable endeavors.